BRUNCH, the bottomless the better, seems to be the refuelling point of choice during the high jinks of Pride Weekend (August 23-26). You’ve been up late partying or never even got to bed, so a Bloody Mary and some ballast will just do the trick. Especially if you’ve imminently got to clamber onto a Parade float and strut your stuff. Here’s our round-up of food and drink events in homage to Manchester Pride.
Drag Brunch at Wilson’s Social
Selina have just taken over the Hatter’s Hostel site on the corner of Hilton Street and Oldham Street, transforming Patron bar into Wilson’s Social and providing an affordable chic NQ base and social hub. They are certainly celebrating Pride in suitably outrageous style.
On Saturday, August 24 they are running Drag Bottomless, Bottomless Brunch at Wilson’s Social,10.30am-2pm with hosts Narcissa Nightshade and Donna Trump for an all singing, all dancing drag brunch, with all tips donated to Albert Kennedy Trust. Tickets available on Skiddle from £33.25, with discounts for groups via this link. Later there’s aDJ set from 9pm-2am with aalice (Meat Free).
On the Sunday it’s Drag Queen Karaoke at Wilson’s Social,11am-2pm before the main event, Sink The Pink takeover throughout the building, 3pm-3.30am, featuring live music and DJ performances from London’s most iconic and ridiculous LGBT event. Tickets £11.25 here. Still peckish? Check out the Social's Full Fry Rainbow Bagel and the Meat Free Rainbow Bagel with 50 per cent of sales going to The Albert Kennedy Trust.
Carmen Miranda bubbly pourers at The Ivy Spinningfields
On Saturday, August 24, The Ivy’s Roof Garden will be transformed into a show-stopping Pride brunch from 11am to 2pm. Complete with Champagne, cocktails and Pride-inspired entertainment including Carmen Miranda Champagne pourers, dancers and other colourful acts, guests will also be able to enjoy a range of Ivy brunch classics such as hot buttermilk pancakes, eggs Benedict with thick cut chips, and a lobster and asparagus gratin.
They’ll also be serving up three Pride-themed cocktails, available on all floors of the restaurant from Thursday 22 to Monday 26. Inspired by three iconic songs, ‘All The Lovers’ (£11.50) will feature Wyborowa Vodka, Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto, Cazcabel honey tequila and lemon juice, topped with Fever-Tree lemon tonic; ‘Dancing Queen’ (£12.50) with Absolut Vanilla Vodka, Cointreau blood orange liquor, blood orange puree, vanilla sugar and topped with Prosecco & camomile foam; and ‘Kiss’ (£9.75) which will include a blend of Wyborowa Vodka, Campari, Clos l’Abeilley Sauternes dessert wine, marmalade and egg white.
To book call call 0161 503 3222 or visit the Ivy website.
High Tea at Grand Pacific
Grand Pacific at the top of King Street have created a Rainbow High Tea especially for Manchester Pride. It is available from the August 19-27, priced at £23 per person. £2.50 from each High Tea and £1 from each Pacific Pride cocktail sold will be donated to the Manchester Pride Charity to support, enrich and empower LGBT+ community groups, organisations, events and initiatives throughout Greater Manchester. This sounds great value with savouries such as crumpet with lobster butter, forbidden rice arancini with goat’s cheese, and smoked salmon potato cake and sweets including mango and lemon tart and peppermint Turkish delight.
Pride Bottomless Brunch at Harvey Nicks
Throughout the four days of Pride if you order one brunch main course plus a stack of rainbow pancakes and bottomless Prosecco, Mimosas and Bloody Marys at Harvey Nichols Second Floor Bar and Brasserie they’ll add a voluntary £1 donation to every bill, match every contribution and give the proceeds to the Manchester Pride Fund. View the full menu here.
Or for the same £30 price book a Pride Cocktail Masterclass to get to the bottom of what makes a ‘boozy brunch’ (Fri 23, 6pm; Sat 23, 11am; Sun 25, 12pm). Plus anyone who has a Pride Live or Gay Village Party ticket or wristband will receive 10 per cent off fashion, shoes and accessories – ends Monday, August 26.
Start the Pride party at an Aperol Terrace Takeover
Grill on New York Street will celebrate Manchester Pride by offering two for one on Aperol Spritz and selected cocktails all weekend. The space will feature blankets, bespoke cocktail menu and ice lolly truck – with two for one on Aperol Spritz and selected cocktails.
The steakhouse will also host a dedicated Bottomless Lunch, on the Saturday and Sunday, with a special Pride weekend drag performance. For £30 a head the special menu features free-flowing beer, wine and prosecco to accompany the likes of Blackhouse steak sandwich, chicken fajitas, halloumi and veg kebab and miso glazed aubergine.
The Bottomless Lunch will be available to book on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25, 12pm-4pm, and you can upgrade to Champagne for an extra £15.
Be Loud and Proud at Menagerie
The suitably glittery New Bailey venue kicks off the party on Friday 23 with a bingo brunch hosted by Lill from the fabulous ‘Drag SOS’ from 2pm (just £5 to play alongside your meal) to a Gaydio soundtrack. Added bonus 2-4-1 cocktails 5pm-7pm.
2-4-1 “Rainbow Tail” cocktails 5-7pm Friday. On Saturday 24 Lill will be joined by Anna Phylactic to host the Bingo brunch with a Menagerie Angels ‘We Are Beautiq’ catwalk show from 3pm.Bottomless brunch, £40 a head, available 12pm-5pm. Plus Pride Punch’ cocktail.
Malmaison’s Bottomless Drag Brunch hosted by Vivienne
The Malmaison is handily placed for the Village, offering bottomless Prosecco, Aperol Spritz or Heineken when you pick from a brunch offering such as Eggs California, crushed avocado; Chez Mal baked eggs, roast tomato sauce, picante pork sausage & chorizo or roast courgette, corn & spring onion; hand carved honey roast gammon, fried eggs, pommes frites with homemade steak sauce. Entertainmnet is hosted by drag legend, Miss Vivienne Lynsey. Book via [email protected] and enjoy a complimentary pride cocktail for starters. Our tip? The Rumbow (abobe)
Absolut Presents: The Pride Brunch Party at The Loft
For this boozy Rainbow Bunch on Sunday 25 (11am-3pm) pick from Vimto-infused Raspberri Rim, made with Absolut Raspberri, Vimto syrup and lemonadeor the disco-ready All Rise with Absolut, blueberry syrup and lemonade. Obviously accompany either with rainbow bagel or three.
there’ll be rainbow coloured bagels and a host of delicious – and free-Absolut cocktails to The party will kick off at 11am with a welcome drink and brunch. Then between 12.30 and 1.15pm there’ll be an LGBTQ panel compered by PinkNews’ Snapchat editor Robert Greene looking at the representation, impact and importance of LGBTQ communities in music. Tickets cost £15 and include brunch and five cocktails. The Loft is at 13 Quay Street, Manchester M3 3HN.
Go for a Rainbow spin with the Randall & Aubin Cocktail Wheel
Randall & Aubin on Bridge Street will be serving up a bespoke cocktail in aid of Manchester Pride 2019 across the Pride Weekend with £1 from every cocktail sold going to The Proud Trust. The colourful Rainbow Wheel will feature six different coloured Bellinis, each representing a colour of the LGBT+ pride flag, all served up on a big wheel.
All Star Lanes Pride Specials
On Sunday, August 25 (1pm-5pm) the Great Northern bar is once again hosting its own Pride Homage Yaas Queen with a drag duo leading the merriment. Showtime is from 2pm. Around this fit a two hour brunch serving bottomless Prosecco, Mimosas and craft beer alongside buttermilk pancakes, avocado sourdough or fried chicken and waffles. Cocktail specials include Over The Rainbow (Midori melon liqueur, egg white, vanilla syrup and lime juice, while a healthy food option is the Rainbow Salad (roasted squash, edamame beans, avocado, radish, lettuce, red cabbage, charred sweetcorn, cherry tomatoes, Cajun roasted chickpeas and breadsticks)
Go on – indulge your self with a cake at the Chop Houses
At either of the three Chop Houses – Sam’s, Tom's & Albert’s – £1 from each Rainbow Cheesecake sold will be donated to the Manchester Pride Fund. You can also get 20 per cent of all bills with a #MPFestival2019 Pledge Band over the weekend.
Or maybe say hey to some special cupcakes?
Hey Little Cup Cake on Quay Street (and at Selfridge’s Trafford Centre) always rise to the Pride occasion with some colourful confections – not just pretty but also tasty. Check out their website.
Portobello Gin collab with Tariff & Dale
NQ bar Tariff & Dale, has joined forces with Portobello Road Gin, to create a limited-edition bottle of the much-loved spirit in celebration of Manchester Pride. Available exclusively at Tariff & Dale and sister restaurant, The Lead Station, this bank holiday weekend and priced at £30, all profits from the sale of the colourful bottle will be donated to the Manchester Pride Fund.Portobello is also the base for seven rainbow themed cocktails (abobe). All are priced at £6 with 50p of every sale also going to the leading LGBT+ charity.
Check out too T&D’s Bottomless Disco, running from 12pm to 3pm on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25. Partygoers are invited to enjoy endless bubbles for just £20, served to a backdrop of disco tunes. Tickets via Eventbrite.
Just around the corner The Pen and Pencil bar is offering its own limited edition Pride cocktail: Does Ya Mother Know? For every cocktail sold, we’re donating £1 to the LGBT foundation charity. They are offering their own Disco Bottomless Brunch (below) plus 25 per cent off food all weekend to Pride wristband holders
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FRESH LOOK MANCHESTER PRIDE 2019 – HERE’s OUR RUNDOWN TO THE FUN
The four day event (Fri-Mon, August 23-26) celebrating Manchester’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender culture has been around for more than 25 years, and has been known by various names including Pride, Mardi Gras and The Big Weekend. It has traditionally taken place only in Manchester’s gay village around Canal Street.
But, new for this year, 2019 the event is being split into six different events – Manchester Pride Live, the Candlelit Vigil, the Superbia Weekend, the Gay Village Party, Manchester Pride Parade and Youth Pride MCR.
Manchester Pride Live at Mayfield will take place over two days - Saturday August 24 and Sunday 25, hosting around 30 worldclass artists across two stages in and around the Mayfield Depot in a ticket-only party.
The Village hub itself is hosting the ‘ultimate street party’ – the Gay Village Gathering. With community performances in Sackville Gardens, plus markets and parties across the village’s venues. Ticketed.
The Manchester Pride Parade will remain the same as it welcomes hundreds of thousands of revellers to witness the spectacle of LGBT+ people marching and riding 150 floats across the city centre on Saturday afternoon. Pride will close with the moving Candlelit Vigil in Sackville Gardens.
The free to attend Superbia Weekend is the festival’s alcohol-free space offering a weekend of premieres, firsts, new work and LGBT+ celebrations as a culturally rich alternative to the hedonism of the other elements of the festival. Its free-to-attend programme includes film screenings, cabaret, conversation, community workshops, new art and a free post-Pride Parade party.
Keep up with the latest news via this link or follow them on Twitter @ManchesterPride